Cusco’s one of those towns you hear plenty about while traveling, because anyone and everyone who’s in South America seems to be drawn to Machu Picchu. It’s the most visited attraction on the continent and one of Unesco’s ‘7 new wonders of the world’. We quickly learned why as we trekked up to the ruins, taking in plenty of local customs and enjoying exploring one of the liveliest cities we’ve visited so far.
We arrived into Cusco on my 30th Birthday, which meant I was able to order people around as much as I liked. Drunk on power I lead us to the small town of Pisac, where driving rain and wind couldn’t stop us exploring a very impressive former Incan Citadel. For whatever reason this is completely undeveloped meaning we virtually had the place to ourselves as we explored the dilapidated structures in the stunning valley.
As good as Pisac was, we were in Cusco to get to Machu Picchu and after surveying the options we set off on the 4 day, 3 night Jungle Trek to the ruins. The walking trail over the first 3 days would take us through some breathtaking scenery, with huge valleys scaling the Urubamba river, which courtesy of recent rains was in sever flood. The landscapes grew more dramatic as we came closer to Machu Picchu mountain and the surroundings were as impressive as anything I’ve seen. While the walking pace of the group was at times painstakingly slow, we were exposed to some local customs along the way, getting a tutorial in chewing coca leaves, dressing up in traditional outfits and playing with a monkey that had been ‘rescued’ by a local family.
Interspersed with the walking we had some adventure activities to keep us on our toes. The tour kicked off with a 50km downhill mountain bike that saw us descend nearly 3,500m in just 3 hours. We were initially skeptical as to why we’d require full body armour for a simple bike ride, but after seeing 2 overturned tourist vans and numerous large
trucks rounding blind corners on the wrong side of the road our doubts quickly vanished.
We also had the privilege of celebrating New Years Eve in a small Peruvian village, starting with a much needed visit to the local hot springs. After a large group dinner we began to sample a range of local beverages including something called Inca Tequilla, which should have been a warning to go easy. It wasn’t. We quickly pressed on to the local discoteca and partied with the locals before heading to the square for the obligatory fireworks at midnight.
By this point I’d had more than my share of the Inca Tequilla, and with an early start the following morning bed was calling. Back at our accommodation though, our hosts were just getting started and being polite guests we joined them for a feast and champagne. That’s where things go blank for me, but apparently I proceeded to pick up and throw their young child around the room, before smashing a glass, taking my shirt off and after much coaxing, treating a table full of excited locals to the haka. Happy New Year indeed.
Breakfast at 8am the following day was a nightmare. As well as feeling like crap in a bottle, I was also ‘that guy’ from the night before, meaning lots of people were keen to talk to me about what I’d done and how I was feeling. Powerade and coffee helped numb the pain, but I was in a fragile state as we set off for a morning of ziplining in the nearby gorge. Thankfully one of our Incan guides took pity, pulled me aside from the group and led me
to an icy cold river for a quick head dunk. Adrenalin then took care of the rest as we zipped our way around the valley, not a bad way to spend a hungover New Years day.
After a night in Aguas Calientes, we rose at 4am to tackle the steep climb up to the Machu Picchu ruins. We’d had some mixed weather over the previous 3 days, but everything played ball as we got a 3 hour tour around the site from our guides. It is a pretty inspiring place. The process of a prehistoric culture putting this together is mind boggling and the surrounding landscape is stunning. As the morning pressed on and the tour buses continued to arrive the whole place became overrun with people. We were happy to escape and head for another steep climb to the summit of Machu Picchu mountain. We’d initially been pretty disappointed to find the more popular Huayana Picchu was already sold out, but the crystal clear day meant climbing the higher mountain gave us 360 degree views of the surroundings and the perfect view of the ruins site. You hear so much about this place as you’re traveling here and it certainly lived up to the hype. If you can get past the crowds, and starting earlier than most is the only way to do that, it’s well worthy of its status. It was also great to have been able to share the experience with Mum and Dad, who’d done an amazing job on some fairly strenuous walks, while 95% of the other people visiting simply caught a bus to the top.
After bidding farewell to my parents, Cush and I set about exploring more of beautiful Cusco. A quality walking tour took us around the various local food joints, giving some inside tips and tastings of traditional Inca delicacies. Much to Cushla’s delight the tour even ended at a Chocolate museum, which combined the informative with some fondu deliciousness. Much more to my taste was the aptly named ‘Pork Alley’. This little gem is a whole street lined with restaurants that specialise in a meal consisting of deep fried pork, roast spuds and corn that will set your world on fire. This meal came in extremely handy in our recovery from Cusco’s other main attraction; partying.
With our old traveling crew of Jaime, Joe, Esther and Jess arriving for their final weeks in South America, we made good use of the party hostels as we made some interesting discoveries. It turns out that drinking at altitude has 2 major kickers. Firstly, you get very drunk, very quickly which is great for the wallet and the entertainment level. Secondly, you get a hangover like a jackhammer. I’m not sure on the science behind it, but after exhaustive research I can confirm it as a fact.
Cusco is a nice little town, with old cobble stoned streets that wind through endless alleyways. Between the markets, the walks and the lively atmosphere we were stoked to have been able to spend so much time here. Sadly, this would be goodbye to our traveling crew, who we originally met in Guatemala and had shared some amazing adventures with since. We bid them farewell and began the long journey to Brasil.
Nights Stayed: Cusco – 10, Santa Teresa – 1, Santa Maria – 1, Aguas Calientes – 1
Quote of the week – “If only I had an off switch. Then I could just have a quiet night, drink 20 beers and go to bed” – Joe Ford with a timely reminder about what makes the Irish a cut above the rest in the drinking stakes
Nothing warms the heart – like watching a 7 year old responsibly supervise his 5 year old brother in a game of ‘light the fire crackers and throw them on road before they explode in your hand’. The families that play together certainly do stay together
Stay at – Loki Hostel. Good Mabo
We did the Jungle Trek – with Lorenzo Expeditions who were brilliant. It’s worth noting that everyone we spoke to in Cusco was happy with their tour company so it seems like
you can’t go too wrong
Fun fact – As well as being my birthday, in the Inca world December 28th is also known as Dia de los Santos Inocentes, which is their version of April Fools Day. Having your birthday on this day is considered to be extremely lucky by the Inca’s and may go some way to explaining how I turned out to be so incredibly good looking
Fun fact 2 – Peru corn kernels are 4 times the size of NZ corn
Random food of the week – Cuy (look it up). If you ever had a Guinea Pig that ran away or crapped in a cage you had to clean up when you were a child, this is your chance to get some revenge. Surprisingly delicious
Must do in Cusco – Grab a coffee at Jacks Cafe, and some chicken wings in Paddy’s Irish pub in the square. Mean feed.
You know you’re in a party hostel – when 2 people are having sex in your 8 bed dorm room at 3am, and not the quiet kind. I suppose this had to happen eventually
What grinds my gears – Instant coffee being served up at breakfast. Decent coffee is cheap to buy and easy to make, if you’re not gonna do it right don’t do it at all